MANILA, Philippines - Google has finally opened an office in the Philippines with the launch of its new unit in Makati.
The tech giant, in a briefing on Wednesday, said the country is a key market in Southeast Asia amid its growing Internet population.
"The Philippines is a key country in Southeast Asia in terms of its digital economy and tech-savvy population," Julian Persaud, managing director of Google in Southeast Asia, said.
"This new office will allow us to better engage with our local users, partners and advertisers. Over 33 million Filipinos access the Internet regularly... [and this] is set to grow exponentially," Persaud added.
Google's new office will be situated in central Makati, although executives did not say if it will be as innovative as the firm's state-of-the-art centers in the US.
Persaud also declined to say how much the tech company will be investing the Philippines, only saying the company will pour in its "blood and soul" for this venture.
"We're not here for short-term gain. We're here in Manila for the long term," Persaud stressed.
Narciso Reyes, newly-appointed country manager for Google Philippines, said the firm will be working on localizing its products for the Filipinos.
"User journey is tantamount to us... we will be localizing our products more and giving them more information and tools. We want Filipino users to find and access local information relevantly and very quickly," he said.
Reyes also shared Google plans to provide a cost-efficient platform for Philippine businesses wanting to advertise online.
"Our local team will be committed to providing better services to our Filipino users and to helping businesses - large and small - grow locally and globally, contributing to the growth of the Philippine economy," Reyes said.
Google is currently hiring for its Philippine office but executives declined to say how many employees will comprise the new unit.
But Reyes and Persaud said Google is looking for Filipinos who will better give them an insight of current local market as the tech giant is eyeing to tap Philippine advertisers.
Job postings for Google Philippines will be available at http://www.google.com.ph/jobs/
source: abs-cbnnews.com
